Was bought a new camera (1100D) for my birthday, its my first, absolutely love photography any tips??
lighting is VERY very important. remember what you see isn't what you'll get, the camera sensors are not good at shooting into the light. try not to "get it all in". frame your photos with rule of thirds. find interesting lines and patterns for your framing. don't be afraid to use auto-focus, auto-ISO and P mode. it's more important to capture the moment.
Read the manual. It's no good knowing how to compose your pictures if you can't operate your camera. I'd also suggest giving this a read.
Spend some time studying and learning how the camera works in manual mode, it'll pay off in the long run! Just sticking it into auto and treating it like a big 'point and shoot' camera will not get you any better photos than a £50 compact camera. This is a great read: http://photographyawesomesauce.com/20-things-i-wish-i-knew-about-photographing-in-manual-mode/
For me the biggest thing at the beginning (and I think I'm still in that stage ) is to practise. Get used to taking pictures with it, start to get a feel for what kind of settings are required when it's that light, or when something is moving that quickly etc.
Im also a complete beginner. What has helped me loads is to use the live view mode. It shows you the picture how it will come out, and more importantly it shows you the changes on the fly as you tinker with settings. Great for getting the exposure correct and making sure your image is sharp.
also, shoot in RAW. it is the single most important thing to do, and main reason you spent that money on DSLR. JPEG are like the printed photos whereas RAW are actual negative film strips that you will be able to post process. finally (i think), even with auto-ISO, set your ISO accordingly. sunny=100, cloudy=200, in doors=400. that will make sure your camera don't shoot at borderline shutter speed and largest aperture all the time. oh, and check the camera proposed setting in the view finder before you hit the shutter release button. learning camera operation is an excellent point. especially how the 3 major settings affect each other and the photo. (ISO, aperture, shutter speed) while it's worth learning the 3 major settings in manual. i think it's a massive waste of time using the camera in manual unless in a studio. the sensor size, better lens and optical view finder will almost guarantee a better photo, especially if care is taken when composing in the view finder. but i do agree using it in full auto mode won't take better pictures. i think P mode is where it's at or A mode.
thanks for all the replies, the links and info were great, planning a photo trip soon very soon will post up the results!
